Oh! BTW, I hit a turkey yesterday! I was half traumatized! I didn't see him because he was first in front of the car in the lane to the right of me...then he just trotted in front of me! I thought for sure that I killed him! He hit at the corner of my driver side bumper. It was a super hard hit...and he was tall enough for me to see his head above the hood of my car...so I looked him in the eye before he hit. Ugh! I looked in my mirror expecting to see feathers and a dead turkey! ...but nothing! where the heck did it go?! I kept checking and finally I saw that he crossed six more lanes to get across the street on to the sidewalk. I felt horrible, but my son and friend just laughed. I thought what a weird reaction...but they said that they are super tough and that this sort of thing happens a lot in our area.

I of course looked for it on my way back home...which was only a few minutes later. I saw him with his tail feathers fanned out and walking around in a grassy area away from the road. I feel better that it's still strutting it's stuff!

Hello Addicts! I think today is the first day of Spring. If it's not it sure does feel like Spring...I can tell because I'm sneezing SO much! Anyhoot, I saw these journal entries that sorta remind me of Spring. They are watercolored backgrounds...with a sort of Zentangled design going through them.

That sounds like a super tough bird you ran into Mel, I hope he is ok and won't try and cross that road again soon. Your son and his friend might react differently once this has happened to themselves. Experiencing the shock when you realise you are going to hit an animal and then the guilt afterwards even if there was nothing you could do... not something I wish on anybody but hitting birds and/or hedgehogs and mice and such is kind of unavoidable when you drive a car. I hit a pidgeon once that flew out of the forest in front of me. I could see the feathers fly in every direction in the rearview mirror and that it made its way back into the trees. I doubt it made it much further though...

Mel you wrote your hubby is retiring from the coast guard... he didn't look that old in the last picture you shared of him... What is he/are you going to do instead? I hope this is not too personal a question.

My hubby and I just turned 44(me) and 45(him) He's put in his 20 years so it's time So what are we gonna do now...well currently we are freaking out. Our future is so unclear! I'm out looking for a job...it's a lot more difficult than I ever thought. I've always thought of myself as a confident, go getter, but I was in for a rude awakening. When my third child was arriving...I became a stay at home mom. Right about when I could have been getting a job again, because the kids were old enough...I ended up being my mother in law's in home care giver. She had Dementia. She passed away last summer...but now...I've been an at home caregiver for more years than I care to admit. I still thought I was that fearless young lady...only well...older...but now when I get out there for job possibilities...I'm frozen with anxiety. It came out of now where. so, my advice to stay at home mom's and dad's...get out there...even if you don't need to be working outside your house...do it...just for the practice of it. Anyhoot, send good juju and prayers my way please. Give me courage and a bit of luck!

So that was a downer eh? ...I came back on here to share yet one more thing! I'll tell you about it on the next post...

So, I was pretty excited when I saw this a few minutes ago. I follow Kosharekart on Instagram. She is holding a sort of art trade for altered money. You might recognize her art here's some examples...

Anyhoot, if you alter a dollar bill...or maybe even a paper bill from your country...she will send you one back. She may even post some of the trades she gets on Instagram. For more details check out her Instagram post at Kosharekart You don't have to have an Instagram account to trade. Let us know if you decide to try it out. I plan on trying it out.

Oh, Mel, it's so hard to get back into the work force. It takes a certain fearlessness to ask for a job. I believe you can do this. You have a great many talents & you may not think they are an asset to a particular job but your future employer may. Put down everything that you know & do on your applications. Be willing to sit in front of your interviewer, look them in the eye & sell them on your capabilities, your willingness to work & a willingness to learn new skills, if necessary. You can do this, Mel. Sometimes you have to take a job you don't like so you can work your way into one that you do. Network!! I can't stress that enough. If you know someone with a job ask them if there's any chance of new hires at their work place. Almost every job I've had was gotten by working the hell out of my friends & begging them to put my name in front of their employer. Many employers hire this way. Every time you sit before a potential employer for an interview it will be easier than the previous time. Trust me, I've been there, done that. Strut your stuff, Mel, you can do this.

You should definitely have a snoop around the galleries, it might be worth it and you do have a lot of knowledge when it comes to arting materials and skills. It won't hurt to see if any of them are hiring, or art supply shops! You could do demonstrations for them, too.

Best wishes on your job search. If it's any consolation, after many years and many varying jobs, I finally landed the best job fit I've ever had. You may just be surprised how all your experiences, skills and age-n-stage might just land you in to the perfect gig!

__________________Is your fridge a boring snoozefest? Time to enhance it with ART MAGNETS!

I agree with everything nanner just said. It's amazing how all of life's little experiences can add up to a pile of experience that can be used in many situations. You go, girl!!

Oh, and I think Gem hit on something, too. You have a lot to give to an art gallery, art supply store, maybe teach at a community college like you did at a senior center. How about a nursery? You have plant skills & knowledge about plants.

I'll put my 2 cents in: listen to all the advice above. My niece put down on a job application once that she had a summer job driving a fork lift. That piece of extraneous piece of expertise had nothing to do with the job she was applying for. The recruiter was so intrigued by this fact that he invited her in for an interview. She got the job! So you never know what will make you stand out from all the applicants that cross an employer's desk. Good luck. I'm rooting for you!

Thanks for all of the pep talk peeps! I will read this page over when I go for the newest thing.

Nanner, it's funny what you said about finding your perfect fit. I've tried the plant watering biz...and I even learned to do blood draws! Hopefully I find a comfortable fit soon. What I found out about the jobs that didn't fit...I can learn to do it...what ever it is.